UAE Leads In Banking Services For People Of Determination
AAE to unveil technology for transactions for PoD
Going to the bank and carrying out normal financial transactions used to be a Herculean task for People of Determination (PoD) until a slew of amazing technologies brought about a sea change to accessibility levels in the banking industry.
The UAE is following the best practices in the world related to the banking services for PoD. A number of banks have launched services for them to conduct normal banking transactions independently without hassles. In line with the vision and unfaltering efforts to make the UAE friendly for PoD, the AccessAbilities Expo (AAE) is adding up strength to the drive to introduce the latest technology for PoD for carrying out normal banking and financial transactions.
The UAE leads the Middle East region in terms of offering smart solutions for the People of Determination in the financial services and some of the UAE banks are taking important steps towards achieving this target.
At the 3rd AccessAbilities Expo, from November 5 to 7 at Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre (DICEC), new PoD-friendly technologies will be unveiled. Synchronized Business Solutions (SBS) will be showcasing DOT Mini, the world’s first smart media device which enables visually impaired people to read and communicate with the world via the Braille. Using the Braille system, the multi-task device helps PoD conduct bank transactions completely by themselves. DOT Mini is arguably a small revolution for the 285 million blind and visually impaired people worldwide who have extremely limited access to written knowledge.
Remarked Daniyal Qureshi, Group Exhibition Director at Reed Exhibitions Middle East, which is organising the AAE jointly with Nadd Al Shiba PR and Event Management: “The UAE leads the Middle East in terms of providing the most innovative services for PoD. The ability to function independently remains a priority for them and leading banks in the UAE like Emirates NBD, Sharjah Islamic Bank (SIB) and Dubai Islamic Bank (DIB) are offering smart services to fulfil this requirement. Many of the latest technologies available around the world to help PoD perform basic day to day functions like banking will be showcased at this year’s AccessAbilities Expo.”
About one billion people are experiencing disabilities globally, including 50 million in the Middle East. The market is currently untapped to a vast extent. A study on the barriers to banking which involved customers in three disability groups - mobility, hearing and vision - highlighted that customers with a disability are unable to independently use banking services across a wide range of channels. Accessible technology is undoubtedly friendlier for less tech-savvy users among PoD. Voice-activated ATMs now help customers who cannot read the screen to use the machine with audible information delivered through a telephone handset and supported by speech recognition software. Disabilities such as visual impairments, hearing and speech related complications, reduced mobility or cognitive issues make everyday banking tasks such as signing up for an account, writing a cheque, using online banking or paying with a card difficult, if not impossible.
